Two senior-level officials of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, one with more than three decades of service, will soon be leaving.
Marshall Fagg
James WrightJames Wright, 54, associate executive director and chief financial officer of the convention, will retire May 31. He went to work for the convention directly after graduating from college in 1978.
Marshall Fagg, 57, associate executive director of the evangelization and missions team since 2005, has accepted a call as executive pastor at Lancaster Second Baptist Church and will begin his duties April 4.
In a statement, executive director-treasurer Jim Austin said he received notification from Wright and Fagg of “their intention to transition to the next chapter of God’s direction in their lives.”
“We thank the Lord for the many years of faithful service contributed by these two godly men and assure them of our prayers and best wishes as they enter the next phase of God’s call on their lives,” Austin said.
“James Wright has faithfully served the convention for the past 32 years, the past 13 as chief financial officer. Marshall has done a superb job in leading our evangelization and missions team, particularly in preparing us for our 10-year strategy of God’s Plan for Sharing (GPS).”
Fred Stone, pastor of Pickens First Baptist Church and president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, described Wright and Fagg as “friends and colleagues in kingdom ministry” who have “faithfully used their gifts and abilities in service to God and South Carolina Baptists.”
Stone also noted “how accessible” Wright has been. “Over the years, I have heard several church treasurers and financial secretaries talk about how patient and helpful he was when they called him for advice about financial issues in their churches.”
He said both men will be missed, “but I know they will continue to contribute to the kingdom of God in other areas of ministry.”
Wright, a native of Columbia and a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, joined the convention staff in July 1978 as coordinator of support services. He rose through the ranks, first as director of the business affairs division, then later as chief operating officer and, more recently, associate executive director and chief financial officer.
He has served the SCBC during the tenures of four state executives: Harold Cole, Ray Rust, Carlisle Driggers and Jim Austin.
“It has been a privilege to serve South Carolina Baptists for 32 years as a layman,” Wright said. “Our state has a rich history of supporting the Cooperative Program and world missions. It has been a blessing to see God at work in our state and to see how his kingdom has grown over these years. Although I am retiring from service with the convention, I am seeking God’s direction for a new place of full-time service.”
In 1993, Wright was the recipient of the Taylor Daniel Award of Merit, presented by the Southern Baptist Business Officers Conference. He was the first non-retiree to receive the award. In 2004, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in business from Charleston Southern University.
Wright and his wife Gloria are members of Spring Valley Baptist Church in Columbia. They are the parents of twin sons and are expecting their first grandchild in June.
Fagg, a native of Belton, has led the SCBC’s evangelization and missions team for five years. He previously was pastor of Forestville Baptist Church in Greenville for 17 years.
He is a 1974 graduate of Clemson University with a degree in political science and English. He earned a master of divinity degree from Southeastern Seminary in 1988. He and his wife Peggy Lee are the parents of two daughters and one granddaughter.
“I have enjoyed serving with the staff of the South Carolina Baptist Convention,” said Fagg. “They are spirit-filled people who deserve our prayers and support as we continue to battle for over three million lost souls in South Carolina and those beyond our borders. God has been gracious to me in allowing me to get back on the front line of that battle.”
As executive pastor at Lancaster Second Baptist, Fagg said he will be following “the desire of my heart.” He said the church’s senior pastor, Brian Saxon, is 36, the same age Fagg was when he assumed the pastorate of Forestville Baptist, where two older pastors “invested themselves in my life. I am forever thankful for their love, wisdom and guidance, and I have prayed for the opportunity to do the same thing,” he said.